BROWNSCOMBE, Jennie Augusta

47 The third commandment:

Remember to keep the Lord’s
Sunday Morning
Oil on canvas
19 5/8 x 29 7/8 inches (50 x 76 cm)
Private collection
day holy
Compendium of the Catechism
 453. How does one keep Sunday
holy?
 2177-2185
2192-2193 
 Christians keep Sunday and other
days of obligation holy by
participating in the Eucharist of the
Lord and by refraining from those
activities which impede the worship
of God and disturb the joy proper
to the day of the Lord or the
necessary relaxation of mind and
body. Activities are allowed on the
Sabbath which are bound up with
family needs or with important
social service, provided that they
do not lead to habits prejudicial to
the holiness of Sunday, to family
life and to health.
Introduction
 In the book of Exodus we read
what God told Moses and his
people:
 " For six days you shall labour and
do all your work, but the seventh
day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your
God. You shall do no work that
day, neither you nor your son nor
your daughter nor your servants,
men or women, nor your animals
nor the alien living with you. For in
six days Yahweh made the
heavens, earth and sea and all that
these contain, but on the seventh
day he rested" (Exodus 20:9-11).
 It is God’s will that we devote a day
of the week to him in a special FOULHAUSE, August
way. It is important to underline the Sunday Afternoon
true meaning of Sunday. It is not a Oil on canvas
day just to have fun, and even less Public collection
to sin. On the contrary, Sunday is a
day that we have to sanctify and
on which we have to sanctify
ourselves.
Main ideas
1. Sunday the day of the Lord

 It is God’s will that we devote a day

of the week to him in a special way:
a day for him and for our rest.
 Jews celebrate Saturday as God
ordered Moses on Mount Sinai, but
the Apostles decided to celebrate
Sunday as the day of Jesus’
resurrection. It was also on Sunday
that the Holy Spirit descended upon
the Apostles on the Feast of
Pentecost.
 In French Sunday is called
Dimanche and in Spanish Domingo:
day of the Lord (in Latin, Dominus).

PRENDERGAST, Maurice Brazil (1859-1924)

Easter Procession, St. Mark's
Watercolour and pencil, 1898-1899
Private collection
2. Keeping Sunday and other days of obligation holy
 We Christians, besides Sundays,
celebrate other feasts to
commemorate:
 the principal mysteries of Jesus’ life:
Nativity, Epiphany, the presentation
in the Temple, Corpus Christi…;
 feasts of Our Blessed Mother Mary
like her divine maternity, the
Immaculate Conception, the
Assumption, the Visitation…;
 feasts of saints like Saint Joseph,
Saint Peter…
 The Church determines which feasts
are to be kept holy as days of
obligation, that is, to be sanctified as
if they were Sunday.
 In the Catholic Liturgy the most
solemn feast is the Passover or
Resurrection of Christ, which is
renewed every Sunday.
ALMA-TADEMA, Sir Lawrence (1836-1912)
Leaving Church in the Fifteenth Century
Oil on canvas, 1864
Private collection
3. To attend Holy Mass

 How can we keep holy

Sundays and other days of
obligation? Mainly by
attending Holy Mass.
 Mass is the best worship
we can offer God here on
earth. Just like the first
Christians we gather
around the altar and the
priest, who represents
MADRAZO Y GARRETA, Raimundo de (1841-1920)
Christ, to celebrate the holy
Coming out of Church sacrifice of the Mass.
Oil on canvas
Private collection
4. The commandment of attending Mass on Sundays and
other days of obligation
 The Church has decreed it
obligatory to attend Mass, from
beginning to end, on Sundays
and other holy days of
obligation.
 He who does not attend Mass
commits a mortal sin unless
he has a dispensation, such
as those who are sick or have
to take care of sick persons,
or who are too far away from
a church, etc.; that is, unless
there is a just and serious
reason. In case of doubt we
have to ask.
 The Church can impose this
obligation because she has
authority to issue laws, and
she wishes only to help us to
L’HERMITTE, Léon-Augustin (1844-1925)
do God’s will. That is why she Sortie de l'eglise Saint-Melaine a Morlaix [Leaving the Saint-
can specify the meaning of the Melaine Church in Morlaix]
third commandment of God’s Oil on canvas, 1875
law. Private collection
5. How to attend Mass
 Mass should be attended
from beginning to end, on
Sundays and other days of
obligation, or on the
previous evening, with
piety and attention.
 This means arriving
punctually, listening
carefully to the readings
and the homily, praying
silently and participating
attentively in the Mass.

BOLDINI, Giovanni (1842-1931)

Portrait of a Man in Church
Watercolor on paper, 1900
Public collection
6. How to rest from work
 The institution of the Lord's
Day helps everyone to have
sufficient rest and leisure to
cultivate their family, cultural,
social, and religious lives.
 On Sundays and other holy
days of obligation, the
faithful are to refrain from
engaging in work or activities
that hinder the worship owed
to God, so as to experience
the joy proper to the Lord's
Day and to relax mind and
body appropriately. GOYA, Francisco de (1746-1828)
Pilgrimage to the Church of San Isidro
Oil on canvas, 1788
16 1/2 x 17 1/4 inches (42 x 44 cm)
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Resolutions for
Christian life
Resolutions to move forward
 Resolve to always keep the
commandment of attending
Mass on Sundays and other
holy days of obligation.
 On Sundays and other feast
days, take better care of those
around us while relaxing with
joyful and healthy recreational
activities.